New VB-G RAM G bill set to replace MGNREGA, will guarantee 125 days of work

A new legislative proposal, the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, is likely to be introduced in Parliament, aiming to repeal the existing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005. The government circulated the draft Bill among Lok Sabha members on Monday, signaling a major overhaul of the country's flagship rural employment scheme.

The core objective of the new legislation is to "establish a rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047." The VB-G RAM G Bill retains the statutory guarantee of wage employment to rural households but enhances the scheme's benefit structure. Significantly, it seeks to increase the number of guaranteed workdays from the current 100 days to 125 days in every financial year for rural adults who volunteer for unskilled manual work. The new law also entails a framework that requires higher financial spending by state governments.

According to the Bill's text, it aims to promote "empowerment, growth, convergence and saturation for a prosperous and resilient rural Bharat." By increasing the employment guarantee, the government intends to provide greater income security and livelihood support to the rural populace. The move replaces the almost two-decade-old MGNREGA, reflecting a strategic shift towards a development model focused on achieving the national goal of a developed India by 2047.